Taking a potshot at Shinde, Thackeray tweeted on Tuesday, “Dirty politics, shoddy works under illegal CM (Corrupt Man). @MMRDAOfficial’s recently inaugurated Kopri Bridge is victim of shoddy works. Though we don’t expect any action on corruption as contractors are CM’s best friends, there must be a fair investigation into this (sic).”

He also criticised the government for the potholes that had come up on the Santa Cruz–Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension bridge which was inaugurated a few months ago. “Likewise, the SCLR, inaugurated a few months ago was riddled with potholes, shoddy works and more so, now is under repairs. It was inaugurated in February 2023. Under the corrupt man (CM) of mindhe- bjp sarkar, contractors have looted the state (sic),” he tweeted.

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Workers repair the damaged portion of the bridge on Monday. Pics/Sameer Markande

The cement concrete portion of the Kopri bridge has developed cracks and potholes. The MMRDA said this stretch was built by Central Railway (CR). A CR official told mid-day, “Fixing the ROB is Railways’ responsibility. These potholes will be attended to in the next two to three days.”

A private contractor, Biju Augustin, told mid-day, “Coating the deck of bridges with asphalt protects them from abrasion and wear and tear. Cement concrete roads on a bridge or flyover do not last long. If potholes have appeared on the  cement concrete section of the Kopri bridge in just a few months since its opening, poor quality material may have been used during construction.”

CR’s public relations officer was unavailable for comment when this reporter tried to contact him via text message to find out the name of the contractor who built the cement concrete portion of the ROB.